


Shadow Play

by Lilly0



Category: Arashi (Band), Johnny's Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe, Light Angst, M/M, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2015-09-27
Packaged: 2018-04-23 15:32:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4882183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilly0/pseuds/Lilly0
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A.R.A.SH.I stands for astringent rational artillery of shadowy intelligence service and is part of a secret delinquent, do-what-we-want side organisation that belongs to intelligence service.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shadow Play

**Author's Note:**

> Written for kitkaos for arashi-exchange.
> 
> Beta-read by yoru-no-hikaru and smile-arigatou <3

There is a slight whistling sound in the air, it’s not really loud enough to bother anyone but it’s annoyingly ear-piercing and destroys the sweet melody of the wave of water washing over the beach. The palm trees are calm, their branches hardly moving at all, Nino knows that, but the huge aspen, this little bitch right next to him moves its leaves with every tiny, almost only hinted breeze in the air. And they whistle.

“Shut up,” Nino mumbles when the rustling and whistling continues. It’s September here, on this islands which knows only one freaking season: summer. So, no need to worry about wind or even a little breeze. It’s still so warm that Nino is sleeping outside most of the time, lying in his huge hammock. Sometimes the others join him because it has the size of a tent, at least in Aiba’s eyes it has, but most of the time he prefers to be alone. He scratches his stomach a bit, feeling all warm and fuzzy and comfortable.

Then suddenly, without a warning he feels something wet hovering above him, little water drops dripping down on his warm and sensitive skin and before he can even finish wondering where that came from he finds wet hair touching his stomach. He squeaks in shock. At first he thinks it’s their dog Marshmallow, who wants to play and get on his nerves, but then he can hear Jun’s laugh. Apparently Jun thinks it’s a good idea to simply dry his wet hair on Nino’s shirt. Next, said hair is moved up to his neck and tickles his nose. It seems that Jun has set his goal to get Nino’s clothes completely soaked. Somewhere in the distance Marshmallow barks. Nino wonders if he should be mad for getting his peaceful day at the beach destroyed like this, but then he opens his eyes and sees that Jun looks unusually mischievous and relaxed. Apparently he has just come out of the water. Idiot is always so active. Nino snorts. The hell with it and the fact that his clothes will get all drained, he thinks, and tugs at Jun’s hair. He pulls him down into his hammock like that, both of them laughing now. 

When Jun lies down at the other side of the quite roomy hammock as well, Nino shivers. Jun’s body is cold from the water. He wonders how to go back to a more comfortable position but before he can do so, he hears how the door to their beach house gets opened forcefully. “That’s Sho,” Nino analyses without even looking. “No one else opens a door like that.”

Jun chuckles like always when someone dares to tease Sho. 

 

~~~***~~~

A.R.A.SH.I stands for _astringent rational artillery of shadowy intelligence service_ and is part of a secret delinquent, do-what-we-want side organisation that belongs to intelligence service. Someone had to do the dirty work after all. That’s what Sho said when Nino was all new. Later on Jun told him though that Aiba and Ohno merely threw the dice and chose the name like that during a drinking game. To this day Nino still isn’t quite sure who told the truth but he leans more towards Jun’s words. Not only because it’s Jun but because it’s just so ridiculously, idiotically awesome to draw the name for such a serious and dangerous organisation by lot. Nino can highly sympathize with this. 

Aiba calls what they do _noble_. But then he is a little romantic and thinks they are modern Robin Hoods. Sho calls what they do _necessary_. Ohno doesn’t waste many words on it. _It is what it is_ , he says. In contrast, Jun goes for a longer explanation most of the time. “I don’t believe in black and white.” He explained to Nino when the latter was new. “Or in good and bad. We do what we think is right. But we do it our way.”

‘Our way’, Nino learned, means spying, stealing, seducing and even killing. For a good cause. “As long as the outcome is good, our actions aren’t evil?” Nino frowned when he said that. 

“I’m not sure.” Jun patted one of his dog’s head, a thoughtful look in his dark eyes. “I guess that under certain circumstances a good outcome can justify an evil act.”

He probably would have said more but they got distracted by Sho at that time. He had a new mission for them.

~~~***~~~

 

Today Sho doesn’t have a mission but a complaint. “Why is it that I’m the one who has to cook for you guys?”

Jun sits up a bit. “You volunteered.” The hammock wavers dangerously when he stands up. The cold body is gone, but still, Nino feels a loss all of a sudden.

“I didn’t volunteer,” Sho argues. “It’s just that Satoshi-kun can’t cook to save his life. No one likes Nino’s cooking and we don’t have enough ingredients to satisfy your majestic expectations. And Masaki is-“ he pauses. “Masaki.”

“Exactly-“ Jun intervenes. “That’s when you said: _You idiots can’t even do that. I’ll cook instead_. Don’t make it sound like we forced it on you. If you want help, you can ask anytime. But do it in a normal way, jeez.”

When Sho opens his mouth to retort something, the door opens again and Kiko peeks outside. She has tied her hair back with a yellow hair clip and is wearing her new swimwear. It has little green leaves and flowers on it, and a little dolphin – and it looks surprisingly good on her (Some women can wear loud colours like that, Ohno once said not without interest). It’s a present from Aiba. He gave it to her proudly with the words _because you like bikinis so much_. Jun laughed slightly at that and said something like _It’s a tankini_. Until that day Nino didn’t even known of the existence of a tankini. Actually none of them did including Kiko herself. So, one could say, Jun broadened their horizons a bit. No wonder the others always ask him for fashion advice. 

“We can eat later,” Kiko suggests. “I’ll help you. But I want to jump into the water first.” 

Sho looks something between annoyed and weirdly pleased (probably because of Kiko’s nice look, Nino thinks with a teasing glance towards Sho) He isn’t too surprised when Sho gives in. “Fine,” Sho says and retreats. 

When Jun grabs his towel and tells Nino that he is going to the basement for a little training, Nino wonders if this guy actually knows the meaning of _vacation_. But then, he shrugs it off – Jun probably doesn’t and no news here – and follows Sho into the house.

Nino finds Sho trying to teach Marshmallow some tricks. “Sit!” he commands. Marshmallow throws himself on the floor, rolling on his back, all four paws stretched away from his body, his tail wiggling. Nino grins, while Sho grunts something incomprehensible. 

 

~~~***~~~

 

Jun normally leaves most of the trained animals at the basis of their organisation. He only takes his favourites and the very best along to their private place, namely Chantal, the Shar-pei, Neon Genesis, the wild pig that hates Sho, and Olong, the falcon, who has found a weird liking to Aiba and cornflakes. 

And then there is Marshmallow. 

Marshmallow’s whole character is exactly like the food he was named after. He is soft, cute and squeaky, but has the size of colossus and can’t tell apart a nuclear bomb and a cookie. Jun, Kiko and Aiba are the ones responsible for training the animals, though secretly Nino believes that Aiba is the one choosing the names and Jun and Kiko do the training. These two just know how to handle their animals, but with Marshmallow every training is in vain. 

Marshmallow’s first and last mission was one where they only had to deliver a simple package. On a scale from one to ten, it was a two-mission. Green. Marshmallow was there purely in case of a worst case scenario. Nobody could have known that he would be the worst case scenario. At the end of the day Ohno had a knife stuck in his leg, Jun broke a rib and they had to ask for reinforcement. 

Jun and Aiba still took the huge bundle of adorableness with them because they didn’t want to give one of their beloved animals away.

 

~~~***~~~

 

Nino spends the rest of the afternoon in front of his PC. “Are you making any progress?” he can hear Aiba’s voice from behind. 

“Hm-“ Nino klicks his tongue in annoyance. “It should be easier to hack into the military’s security system. It seems that they have a new firewall and an even newer protection system.” When he lets out a sigh, Aiba pulls his chair away from the computer. “Why don’t you take a break?” he suggests. “It’s already pretty late. Night’s already coming up.”

For a moment Nino thinks the other is joking, but as he throws a glance out of the window, he can see that everything is indeed already covered in darkness. 

“We are having dinner soon,” Aiba tells him. “Why don’t you go downstairs and get Jun-kun and Satoshi-kun.”

Nino nods slightly, still lost in his thoughts. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registers Aiba’s voice telling him that it was exactly 30 minutes until dinner.

 

When Nino got hired and was directly transferred to A.R.A.SH.I – just like everyone with a difficult character or a troublesome past – and heard about the secret private base of A.R.A.SH.I being located on an island for the first time, he expected a little cottage with just the most necessary supplies. What he didn’t expect was a nice and beautiful house (although he kind of hoped it would be like that), a beautiful beach area, which was a nice add-on, and a basement of the size of the pentagon.

It’s not as huge as the head quarters of their organisation, of course, but still big enough to need and have directionary signs and warning signs everywhere and also to have Aiba and Nino getting lost once. 

The training area is at the left end of the basement, which is probably why Aiba told him to get the other two guys half an hour before dinner. He can already hear Ohno’s voice before he enters the huge area. Before he can say something though, Ohno puts a finger on his lips signaling him to stay silent. Jun is in a separate room, surrounded by shot-proof glass (a security measurement from one time when Jun and Ohno overdid their training and accidentally ruined half of the room). He is currently fighting against a computer projection resembling a bunch of 100kg, muscle-packed security men – Nino finished designing them just two weeks ago and feels proud that the guys are already using them for training. 

He joins Ohno at the little microphone through which he is communicating with Jun. At the beginning, right after Nino joined, it felt weird to him to see Ohno and Jun interact, he even thought they were in some kind of relationship or something – until Sho told him that they already knew each other since Jun was only a teenager. Ohno took care of him, apparently, brought him to this organisation, and trained him. Actually, he still does. 

It still feels a bit weird sometimes, though, but not too much.

“Don’t slack off, Jun,” Ohno says through the mic. He has this calm voice that reminds Nino of these Zen-mediation records that tend to make him all sleepy. “You almost got them. Stay focused. You can do it.”

Jun throws his knife towards one of the men, hitting his target straight on. In the same motion he turns around swiftly and kicks the only remaining man right into the face. Nino can hear the bones breaking and when Jun shoots the virtual guy, blood spills. Nino almost regrets making this projection so graphic. He overdid it a bit with the amount of blood that spills out of their bodies, he has to admit that much. 

Ohno pushes a button on the huge control pad. The surroundings in the training room suddenly disappear, so does the blood and the security men. When the door opens, Jun steps outside. “You are doing excellent already,” Ohno tells him. “Your footwork improved a lot and your senses work better than ever.”

“Not good enough,” Jun takes the towel that Nino hands him and dries the sweat on his neck with it. Nino is almost amazed by the fact that Jun never seems to be too content with his own work. Out of the corner of his eyes he can see how Ohno rolls his eyes. “In this little sequence on the open area they almost got me. I was a little handicapped for a while – Kazu’s projections are really freaking realistic. How do you do it? I feel that they have an effect on me when they hit me or shoot me, even though they can’t actually truly hurt me.”

“The work of a genius,” Nino grins. “You know, I manipulated the gravitation a little and-“ he pauses. “Tell you what, you two stick with doing the physical work. Leave the thinking to me and Sho.” He laughs when Jun throws the towel back, right at Nino’s face.

“We should probably go for dinner,” Ohno interrupts them.

“Is there enough time to take a shower?” Jun asks. “If not, I won’t care and still take one.”

“I think there is still enough time,” Ohno reassures him. “But don’t be too late. Sho is going to be so pissed if his food gets cold.”

“No, he isn’t,” Nino chuckles slightly while he leads the way back. “Kiko is there too and helps him. He never complains when she or Erika is around.”

Jun grins while Ohno pulls his eyebrows up. “What about Keiko-chan?”

“They fight all the time,” Nino explains. “Having her in the kitchen together with him, plus Aiba-chan enjoying the interaction, would be contra-productive.”

“And that’s-“ Ohno ends their talk. “-why you are on the strategy team.”

 

~~~***~~~

 

“Did you prepare the corn on the cobs?” Keiko asks Sho when they are sitting together at the huge table in the living room. She is wearing a playboy bunny hair band and a cocktail dress. Always pretty, always overdressed, but still working it.

“No, that was me,” Kiko says.

“Oh-“ Keiko smiles sweetly. “Then it tastes fantastic.”

Jun and Nino exchange a grin. Fascinating how vicious this woman could be. “Let’s train together tomorrow, Kiko,” Jun says, apparently deciding to change subject. A pity, because in Nino’s opinion Sho’s poisonous look is just too funny. 

“Hm-“ she nods. “Only if you won’t beat me up.”

“I would never do such a thing,” Jun almost sounds insulted. “But you have some talent. Why not polish it?”

“He is right,” Ohno agrees. “We need you in the fighting team. Right now it’s only Jun and me.”

Sho nods before he turns towards Nino. “How are you progressing with the military security system?”

“Oh, don’t remind me,” Nino sighs. “It should probably not be that difficult, but-“ He wants to add some more information, glad that he can finally talk to someone of his own intra-team about it, but he gets interrupted by Aiba suddenly bursting into the room. He got a phone call ten minutes ago and excused himself from dinner.

“It’s Toma,” he says. Before he can say anything else Marshmallow throws himself at him, demanding some attention. Only when Aiba pets him, he stops the assault. “He wants to talk to you now, Sho.”

Nino sighs inwardly. “So, it means work,” he says and tries to sound as casual as possible. Their little time off was too short. 

Sho disappears for an entire hour, so there’s still enough time to eat and wash the dishes. Unfortunately the door to the beach is still open so at one point Marshmallow decides to take a stroll. When Jun and Kiko finally find him, he is covered in dirt. Mud bathing, apparently. Chantal, who is lying next to the door most of the time, her senses awake – always- only grunts when Marshmallow pats back into the house, a huge trace of dirt following him. 

Ohno opens his mouth, most likely to start a not too charming rant, but Aiba beats him to it. “It’s okay,” he says swiftly. “I’ll clean him up immediately.”

“Yeah,” Erika takes another spoon from Sho’s perfect strawberry crème. “I’ll help.”

 

~~~***~~~

 

“Is that useless excuse of a dog finally washed and sleeping?” Sho asks in annoyance.

“Hey you-“ Jun points at Sho with his perfect new knife, the one that can cut iron as well as any other metal you can think of. A birthday present from Keiko. “-don’t insult Marshmallow!” he says and probably means it.

Aiba reaches out his hand to pull Jun’s arm away. “Let’s get to the topic, shall we?” he asks pleadingly. 

Nino hides his grin. He has always had a soft spot for Jun’s very spontaneous angry reactions. Jun doesn’t have a bad temper like Sho, but you don’t want to mess with him. Usually his reactions are very controlled. Just sometimes he will slip – something about that fascinates Nino. 

“Fine,” Sho sighs and reveals the new mission. “Toma already sent me all of the information we need, plus our new identities, passwords, clothes, information on the persons whose lives we’ll be taking over for a while and our new target.”

“Well, at least he works fast,” Ohno says approvingly. “Who is our target?”

“Oda Sano.”

“THE Oda Sano?” Keiko asks in surprise. “The head of the military and their intelligence service!? What’s our objective?”

“Kill him,” Sho explains calmly. 

“That’s definitely not going to be easy,” Nino analyses, his mind already working on its own. He goes through all the pros and cons and what he has to do to upgrade their security systems, their weapons, break through their enemy’s firewall and- 

“How fast can you work your way through their system?” Jun wants to know as if he has read Nino’s thoughts.

“Their defence is crazy,” Nino explains. “Sho, Keiko and I definitely need to work on that together. It might take a while.”

“What about the weapon upgrades and all those other little gimmicks you like so much?” Keiko asks. She sounds friendly all of a sudden and not as teasing as she is when talking to Sho.

“100% finished.” Nino grins. He has added one or two gimmicks to the weapons without telling either Sho or Keiko. Jun and Aiba catch his grin, Jun smiling brightly and Aiba calling out “Awesome! I can’t wait,” and sounding a little bit too excited. 

“Good,” Sho says before he frowns. “But if we can’t get through their security in time, this might mean-“ he pauses, eyebrows furrowed in high concentration.

“Yes.” Nino answers without letting him finish his sentence. He knows what Sho wants to say anyway. It’s pretty much what he fears too.

“So-“ Aiba sighs in annoyance. “Could you strategy smartasses fill the rest of us in too?”

“He means that we might have to go on an outdoor mission with the assassin team,” Nino explains.

“Outside?” Jun says, sounding alarmed immediately. “You mean on the killing mission itself?”

“The security system might be too tough to get through,” Sho continues Nino’s explanation. “We might need to do some work on the spot.”

“Awesome,” Ohno mumbles silently and they all know he doesn’t mean it.

“Well, let’s discuss that later. There is still plenty of time,” Sho says diplomatically and angles for some huge folders and a few discs instead. One for each of them. “Here are your new characters. Toma already infiltrated some of us into various existing teams, but most of us take over real people’s lives for a while, that’s why the roles are so specific this time.”

“How did Toma get those people to agree to this? I mean, we are basically taking over their lives for a while,” Aiba asks in surprise.

“Well-“ there is an awkward pause in which Sho looks at the rest of them like he is asking for help. He probably doesn’t want to say that there is very possibly a lot of threatening involved, maybe even blackmailing. Toma knows his business well. “It’s just how it is,” Sho says and Aiba nods, apparently having guessed the truth.

“I expect you to study properly and be ready take over your roles by Monday,” he continues, handing Nino a folder. “From next week on, you are going to be a kindergarten teacher in Sunflower nursery school. The woman Oda is harassing, has her child there.” He pulls out the next two folders. They are a lot thicker than the one Nino received. “Kiko and Keiko, you are in the military’s nuclear research team,” Sho pauses. “I don’t need to tell you to be extra careful, right? It’s pretty dangerous and-“

“Really?” Keiko says and sounds almost a little too sweet. “It’s dangerous? Who would have guessed that…”

Before Sho can retort, Kiko gladly intervenes. “Got it, Sho, we’ll be careful,” she says with a warm smile and Sho returns it immediately, his eyes lighting up a little. He should really smile more often, Nino thinks.

“Masaki will be staying at home this time, we need one person to handle the surveillance cameras and the devices and to check on our safety. And as a back-up for another job if one of us has to retreat.”

Aiba nods. It’s all perfectly planned and everyone has to move according to the plan, like a huge clockwork. _Tick, tack_. One part of it is that someone stays at the base, for security reasons. This time it’s Aiba’s turn while last time he had a job as a political party member.

“I’ll be working as a nurse. Oda has an affair with one of the female nurses at the health department of their institute,” Sho explains. “Erika is going to be the divorced house wife from the apartment on the other side of the street. She is a secret drug dealer.”

There is a pause all of a sudden and Sho looks at his documents a little too concentrated.

Jun lets out a sigh. “The fact that you are calling me last doesn’t mean anything good does it? Get it over with, Sho, and tell me what kind of shady job I need to do. It’s always either you or me anyways. Apparently we have the most frivolous looks and dangerous faces.”

Sho rubs over his head a bit, looking almost embarrassed. “I would have done it myself, but you are taking over a certain Yuri’s place, he is new and you resemble him and-“

“Come on, say it,” Jun interrupts him, smiling slightly. “Red-light district again? Mafia? Or corrupt police?”

“You work at the Starlet Sparkle Club. Oda’s closest man is a regular there.”

“Gigolo? Seriously red-light district _again_?”

“You don’t have to,” Ohno tells him, apparently feeling as bad as the rest of them, because the dirty work was always left to Sho or Jun. And sometimes Kiko. They can pull off the shady or dangerous jobs best and they are good looking and confident enough to work as hosts. 

It’s true that they don’t have to accept a certain role, but it’s making their work more difficult if they decline.

“Am I ‘available’ for cash?” Jun asks, ignoring Ohno’s objection.

When Sho stays silent, Jun nods. “So I am.”

“Well-“ Sho exchanges a glance with Jun, both of them nodding slightly. It doesn’t happen too often, just sometimes there seems to be a mutual understanding between them – like Sho can read Jun’s mind better than the others can, and the other way round – something none of the others can explain. “You, Satoshi-“ Sho continues. “-are the 45-year old gardener at Oda’s house-“

“How old did you say I am supposed to be!?” Ohno interrupts him immediately. 

Erika and Aiba giggle helplessly, while Jun looks down at his glass of whisky, his lips twitching slightly. Nino pats Ohno’s shoulder, not even hiding his grin. “Well, fortunately one of us looks-“ he pauses slightly. “-mature.” 

Now even Sho has to laugh.

 

~~~***~~~

 

Nino sits down next to Jun who’s just been staring out of the window for a long time. “You alright?” he asks. 

“Sure,” Jun smiles a smile that is so fake that Nino almost wishes to scratch it from his face. 

They are taking a private flight back to the base. Aiba doesn’t look like it, but he is incredibly good with everything that moves forward, or also backward and is fast – except for cars. He got both his pilot license and submarine license in the blink of an eye. Keiko is assisting him right now, not quite living up to his skills but still good enough.

“I wonder-“ Nino muses. “When I will ever feel comfortable with those two flying us.”

“Oh,” Jun smirks seductively and bends forward a bit. His face is close to Nino’s now. “If we should crash, at least you know you spent your last moments with me.”

Normally Nino would have laughed at something like that but the way Jun says it with this hoarse voice, his eyes darker than usual, his lips slightly parted, it’s just- “You are practising for your role, right?”

“Does it work, or do you want some more demonstrations of my skills?” Jun says softly. It’s rare that someone really gets to Nino with such teasing but right now he is just so damn speechless. Fuck this idiot for being so hot!

Fortunately they are interrupted by Sho shouting from the back of the jet. “Can someone keep Neon Genesis, this annoying pig, away from me!? It’s eating my newspaper.”

Jun grins and leans back again. 

“Say, Jun-“ Nino chuckles, remembering that when they got Neon Genesis and Jun trained him the latter was in a huge dispute with Sho for a whole week. “You trained it to hate Sho, didn’t you? Eat his newspapers, pee into his shoes-”

Jun shrugs. “Who knows.”

“Oh-“ Erika’s voice suddenly sounds from a seat behind theirs. She has her hair tied into a knot and fixed on top of her head. It should probably look more ridiculous than it does. “I know, Kiko told me. But more importantly-“ she grins. “I know everything about drugs now. I’m a pro now.”

Nino wonders if he should tell her that this is probably nothing one should brag about but then he dismisses the thought and nods instead. 

“Aren’t you guys glad that you don’t have to go through all the stuff for the nuclear research team like Kiko and Keiko? Hell, imagine the amount of work and perfection they have to put into that. Hours of boring studying.”

Jun nods and chuckles. “Yeah, you are right.”

When he smiles it’s a lot less fake this time. Nino feels bad all of a sudden. Why was she able to lighten his mood while he wasn’t?

 

~~~***~~~

 

“Good-bye, children!” Nino waves enthusiastically, secretly cursing this job. How could anyone in their right mind do something like that? What kind of job is it even? Watching out for a bunch of loud, noisy, demanding little brats, who had sticky hands most of the time, throw their heads into chocolate cakes, grab food with their hand and can’t stay clean for more than five minutes. 

It’s the second week in this job and he has already put it on the top 5 most hated jobs he has done so far. Number 1 is probably the one where he was cleaning toilets in a Moscow subway station.

“Kitaragi-san!” A woman appears all of a sudden, she is out of breath a little. Apparently she ran the last metres. “I’m sorry, I can never make it before 7PM.”

Nino still needs to adjust to that new name. _Kitaragi-san. Kitaragi-san_. It’s strangely hard to remember, though normally he is good with recalling names and numbers. Seriously, he has to get it together. “Please, don’t worry, Asami-san,” he bows slightly. She is the last mother that comes to pick her child up today. And she is his target. Out of the corner of his eyes he can see how two men are waiting for her at the corner of the street. 

_Asami, never comes before 7 PM, Oda’s men keep watching her. They call themselves by numbers. 1 and 2. Guy 1 – nickname Rusk – has black short hair, 1.80m, probably 90kg, apparently not that important to Oda. Guy 2 – name unknown – 1.95, looks strong, 120 kg. Driving a seemingly unimpressive Volvo as a camouflage with black windows, Oda is probably inside, keeping a respective distance. Here to intimidate her. Guy 2 is the one from the surveillance video that Kiko and Keiko brought. He is also the man who gets the drugs from Erika. And picked up the nurse for Oda. And he was the guy from Jun’s surveillance last Friday. – Oda’s closest man._

Nino puts up his best smile. “Asami-san,” he croons. “Today we had parent-child picture day. A project we prepared all week. We couldn’t make the photo for little Miko-chan yet. Maybe you want to do it now?”

He is pretty sure that she doesn’t want to, but he has spent the whole day and the previous week making such a fuss about that stupid parent-child photo that every kid was crazy about it, including Miko-chan. She even cried a little today because her mother didn’t make it in time – Nino felt a little bad about that, which in turn made him feel a bit relieved. He hasn’t lost all of his humanity yet.

“Well, why not, I guess, if it doesn’t take too long.”

Nino nods reassuringly, leading her inside and making her pose in front of the huge wallpaper her daughter painted (as part of the picture-day). When he takes the picture an instant photo appears immediately, which he hands to the mother daughter pair. A second one he sticks to the wallpaper, exactly on the mark that Miko placed on it. What they don’t know, though, is that with these two little shots he has got a lot more information than anyone can expect. This new device for sure is good. From now on he will be able to find Asami everywhere on every surveillance camera.

In addition, he got their genetic code too – Miko cut her finger last week.

 

After they have left, Nino packs his belongings, closes the doors of the nursery school and happily hops into the direction of the dangerous looking guys. He angles for his phone and calls Aiba’s number. “Hello darling~” he chirps. 

“Hm. Putting you on hold, but just keep going,” Aiba tells him. 

“Of course, I can’t wait to see you, babe!” Nino continues when he passes the guys. He drops his bag all of a sudden. “Shoot!” he mumbles. “Wait a second, babe.”

The two guys exchange a glance before _Guy 2_ nods and _Rusk_ bows down to help Nino gather his things. His watch has dropped a little under the car and Nino stretches a bit to get it. With skilled fingers he attaches a tracking device to the car – fast and without anyone noticing it. He has done this a million times already and his heart doesn’t even beat faster anymore when he has to secretly attach spying devices. “Thanks!” he says enthusiastically when _Rusk_ hands him his books, and stretches out his hand for a hand shake . Rusk is probably too shocked to refuse, so he just grabs the offered hand. Nino pats Rusk’s back casually, placing another device on him in the motion.

Awesome. Nino grins inwardly. And hopefully the skin-like gloves he is wearing will get this guy’s finger prints. 

He bows slightly, grabbing his phone again. “Sorry I let you wait! Ah- don’t be like that, I’ll make it up to you,” he continues while he disappears around the next street corner. He pauses there throwing a little glance back through his glasses. Fortunately the car seems to move away.

 

~~~***~~~

 

“Ah, you are back,” Sho says when Nino enters through the secret side-door of their little undercover base. It’s masked as a company for cleaning products. 

“You too?” 

“Yeah, early shift today. Besides we already knew that Oda wouldn’t be in today. He is there on every Tuesday and Wednesday. Friday it’s always been your nursery school.” He pauses, eyeing Nino curiously. “How did it go?”

Nino smirks. “Very well. I have the photos, her entire body code saved to our systems, plus the genetic code of her child. And the tracking device is fixed on Oda’s car.” 

“Awesome.” Sho nods contently right when Erika comes to the room. She has her hair tied back into a long pony tail and tries to get rid of her junkie-make-up. Her rubbing with a washing cloth on her face leaves it weirdly red.

“The tracking device?” Erika asks. When Nino nods, she eyes Aiba curiously. “Does it work, Masaki?”

“Yes,” he calls out excitedly and Erika hugs him from behind, happily.

“Where are they heading?” she wants to know.

Aiba stares at the screen for a while then he looks at them nervously. “Starlight Club.”

“To Jun!?” Nino asks alarmed. 

“Oh damn-“ Erika puts the washing cloth aside for a while, her red face looking all serious all of a sudden. “Someone has to warn him!”

“I’m giving him a call,” Sho says immediately. 

“Calm your tits, boys and girls,” Ohno mumbles while reading his newspaper. “He knows.”

“How!?” Sho calls out. 

“You all know that our _Guy 2_ was there last Friday and checked the _new boy Yuri_ out, right? Liked what he saw. Of course he did. He booked Jun for today – or rather Jesse as Jun calls himself there. Jun knows since Wednesday, so he did some preparations. Hearing device is there, weapons for emergency, mike, tape and the K.O. spray, in case it’s needed. The tracking device too and everything else he needs.”

“That guy – the second one of Oda’s men – he is huge, he is machine, he is-“ Nino stops here, not wanting to voice it out so clearly. “Why didn’t Jun tell us?” he wants to know.

“Because he knew you guys would freak out,” Ohno explains. 

“And you didn’t?” Sho asks piercingly. “I thought you would be worried too!”

The glare Ohno sends Sho is deadly and Nino is glad that it wasn’t directed at him. “Of course, I am. And I did freak out. Do you think I’m happy that I picked him up from street and basically turned him into the fighting machine he is?” he pauses. “But for this here now - Don’t forget that it wasn’t _me_ who sent him to that place.”

Sho grows pale all of a sudden, his eyes glinting in sudden guilt. Nino sighs slightly. That’s not right either, he thinks. It’s not Ohno’s fault but also not Sho’s. Sho is a difficult guy, but he is definitely not heartless enough to feel pleased with these kind of missions that some of them have to do. “That’s not fair, Satoshi-kun,” Nino says calmly. “It’s not Sho-kun’s fault.” He tilts his head thoughtfully for a while. “But Sho-kun is wrong too, it isn’t your fault either.”

“Sorry,” Ohno says after a while. “You are right.”

“Exactly,” Aiba says with sudden authority. “And now shut up and get out of my room, all of you. Jun is on and I need to concentrate. So, please leave!”

They do what Aiba wishes them to do and one part of Nino feels relieved that he isn’t going to hear what’s gonna happen. Aiba is stronger than a lot of them give him credit for, he thinks with a good amount of respect.

 

~~~***~~~

It’s past midnight and even Keiko and Kiko are already back. Keiko has an exhausted look on her normally so pretty face. Science is her forte and Nino guesses that she needs to cover a little for Kiko who is not in her comfort zone there. She has dyed her hair lighter now, it looks good on her, she looks like a dangerous princess, while Kiko’s is pretty short now – not bad either. She has the face for such a hair style.

“Ah-“ The door to Aiba’s room opens and Aiba stumbles outside. “Finally,” he says. And: “I need a drink.”

“So!?” Nino asks immediately, forcing a bottle of beer into Aiba’s hand. He has already prepared that, well aware that Aiba would be tired, thirsty and hungry. “What happened!?”

“Well, the obvious. But from what I heard from Jun he has all the information, photocopy of the guy’s IDs, name, birthplace, finger prints, address. Jun got him even that far that while approaching his orgasm he spilled the one or other detail about Oda and how frustrating it is to be the second man behind him sometimes. How stupid and brutal this Rusk is. Also, where Oda likes to go to, his favourite place and-“ Aiba pauses. “-the secret code to his laptop. _He is such an idiot sometimes, choosing his mother’s name as a password. What a wimp!_ That’s what he said to Jun. I heard it.”

“Good,” Keiko nods her head a bit. She lights a cigarette now which clashes a little with her princess look. “Bad but good.” 

Nino knows exactly what she means. He grabs the cigarette she offers him now and takes a breath from it.

“Jun told me that you should all go to bed or do whatever you want to do. He is probably taking a little longer to come home. Needs to fetch a little thing from the club and see if he is still needed.”

It’s a lie. Nino can see it by the way Aiba’s eyes are wide-opened, he doesn’t twinkle. Jun probably just wants to rest a little, alone.

“Well then-“ Sho says. “I’m going to hack into the computer then.”

~~~***~~~

 

It’s around 4 AM when Jun finally comes home. Nino recognizes his footsteps easily. 

 

Sho and Nino hacked Oda’s computer earlier. With the password it was unbelievable easy. They also gathered all the information they needed. Now, they would probably be able to finally make their move. 

Oda’s favourite place was an old harbour. Apparently he had his beginnings there when he was still a young soldier and gathered similar radical men around him. With Erika getting all the guys’ fingerprints and the others basically checking and monitoring every second of Oda’s whereabouts, they were probably prepared well enough. Ultimately time is working against them too. They need to work fast before they attract too much attention.

Nino also fixed all the devices and put Asami on their protection list. Her child was indeed Oda’s secret child. He is blackmailing her for years already, even though she moved several times. 

 

Nino steps out of his room and into the corridor when he hears the well-known footsteps. “Jun?” he says.

“Hm.”

Nino waves a bit. “Come.”

“Where to?” Jun is surprised but follows him nevertheless. “Your room?”

“Yes, you know I hate being alone.”

It’s a lie and probably Jun knows that too but still he obeys. He drops down next to Nino on his bed, not even undressing or changing his clothes. “You are such a demanding brat.” Jun smiles.

“Yes, I know.”

“Glad the others went to bed already.” Jun yawns and turns to his side to face Nino. His face is dangerously close now. He has changed his clothes from this morning, wearing a cozy long sleeved sweater now and casual looking pants. “This guy’s – I mean Guy 2’s – name is Masatoshi, but they call him _King_.”

“Hm,” Nino says and threads his fingers through Jun’s hair a bit. It would have been more awkward normally but it fits their situation, so he doesn’t question it much. 

“Dude has a little BDSM fetish,” Jun explains and grimaces a bit. That’s probably why he is wearing long sleeves, Nino thinks. “Took me all my strength to rise, if you know what I mean.”

“I’m sorry,” Nino says, not sure what he is even apologizing for. “Next time let me go.”

“Like you are hot enough,” Jun teases softly. 

Nino chuckles a bit. 

“How was the evening here?” Jun wants to know.

“Sho and Satoshi got into a fight.”

“Again?” Jun sighs slightly. “About what?”

Nino shrugs a bit. “I don’t know anymore. I didn’t follow it completely,” he lies.

He can feel how Jun relaxes a bit, how his breath gets steadier all of a sudden. At one point Nino can feel how he is dozing off too. Only vaguely he feels how Marshmallow jumps on his bed too and squeezes his way between their legs.

 

~~~***~~~

 

It’s almost lunch time when Nino wakes up. Marshmallow has basically taken over the entire bed with Nino almost falling out of it already. 

“This dog-“ he sighs.

Jun laughs slightly. He just appears out of the little bathroom, drying his hair. He looks a lot better, Nino thinks. He and Sho are really used to fast recovery. “Don’t look like that,” Jun grins. “I’m okay.”

“Really?”

“Yep-“ Jun puts on a ridiculously pink shirt. It has little marshmallows on it, a present Aiba gave him a year ago. “You know, I don’t mind the normal Host Club jobs. I just don’t like the ones where I need to have sex with the men or women there.” He pauses, a sly grin on his face. “Unless they are pretty.”

Nino laughs and throws his pillow after him. To his annoyance Marshmallow’s hunting instincts are awakened all of a sudden and he decides to catch it, basically trampling over Nino as he goes. “Okay-“ Nino sighs. “I’m awake.”

“It’s about time anyway,” Jun tells him. “I’m going for a little training session with Satoshi and Kiko. Then I need to work with Chantal, we might need her for the harbour mission.”

Nino jumps out of his bed too now, stretching slightly. “Always working,” he complains. “Fine, I’ll go and check on Sho and see if he has any work to get done.”

Jun nods slightly, grabbing his bag and hurrying towards the door. Before he leaves though, he turns around. “And Kazu?”

“Hm?”

Jun looks at him for a while, then he shrugs, a slight blush on his face. “Nothing.”

Nino grins slightly when Jun has left. “You are welcome, Jun,” he says. 

 

~~~***~~~

 

When Nino goes downstairs to the High Tech base Aiba is eating a sandwich at his working table, a second and third one right in front of him, while Keiko is sitting on his lap casually. It’s a mystery how the hell this dude manages to do that – to be so random and casual with everyone and to be liked by all people. Even this dangerous girl is cuddling him all the time.

“That’s because they think I’m no danger,” Aiba said once.

“That might be true,” Ohno said back then. And Nino agreed.

The second mystery is how he can eat all three huge sandwiches. They have cheese and ham, and even more ham, grilled chicken and mayonnaise, salad and tomatoes in it. Well, it’s Aiba.

“Anything new?” Nino wants to know.

“Sho went to meet Toma. They are going to talk about the details. But be prepared, I’m certain we are heading out on Tuesday.”

 

~~~***~~~

 

“Okay, here is the plan-“ Sho switches on all the security systems around them while he starts the program. “We have developed a program so that you can simulate the entire scenario.”

“Do we really have to practise it like that?” Jun wants to know sceptically. “I mean, it’s awesome and all. But playing this through like a video game might take away our creativity once we are at the real place and might have to react to unexpected stuff.”

“But for this mission it’s too much of a risk not to do it according to instructions from the head office,” Keiko intervenes. 

The three fighting team members exchange an uncomfortable glance, but it’s an order from head quarters, so they have to obey. This time it’s not only Jun who will be fighting but all three of them. And so their training begins.

Nino feels like he is watching some sort of agent movie – Jason Bourne maybe – or that other dude, James Bond, or whoever. They pass the security guards easily, Jun knocks down two on the left side, Ohno three on the right side and Kiko shoots the one in the middle. Their guns have mufflers. They hide the bodies carefully, almost silent. Their clothes are so black and their movements so careful that it’s only thanks to the huge display that tracks them with a light silhouette that Nino can see them.

Once they reach the harbour they get into a little fight. Jun sends Chantal to ambush two of the guards. She is surprisingly dangerous and Nino feels a little awkward watching the dog he likes to cuddle basically ripping someone apart. 

Next they are heading for the main facility building of the harbour. “You have to sneak in there,” Keiko tells them through the mic. “We had you practice it with the exact illustrations from the land surveying office and building authority, including the security systems.”

When Ohno shakes his head slightly, she smiles. “Don’t worry, we have switched off the security systems for now. Nino, Sho and I am going to try to disable them later as we get there. For now it’s only you who have to break in.”

“The tracking devices show you exactly where King and Rusk are, Oda’s two men. Oda should be around them, so be careful.”

Jun nods and points up the building after a while. For a few moments the three of them are arguing silently, only using gestures. It’s only then that Nino realizes that there is a window up there, even though it’s pretty small. Only Kiko might fit through it. And sure enough the two men soon give the girl a leg-up to help her slip through the narrow passage.

Through the night sight and the infrared camera Nino can see how Kiko’s silhouette moves inside, getting rid of a guard silently, before she opens a window at the far left corner, far away from Oda and his men. 

Jun and Ohno sneak inside too now. They take their time though and don’t move for a while. It’s then that Nino realizes they are setting up a trap, using Neon Genesis this time, whose biggest advantage is his intelligence. 

Then everything happens very fast. They move up, meet Oda’s men. Jun goes for King and Nino can only imagine how grimly he fights him. Ohno meanwhile goes for Oda. Rusk at the same time seems to be able to flee, but only until he stumbles over the trap. 

It’s Kiko who shoots Oda in his head.

 

~~~***~~~

 

“So cool,” Aiba sighs. “I want to join you guys.” He says. “It’s so boring to be on the supply and tracking team.”

“Come and train with us and we’ll think about it,’” Jun answers. “Besides, there is nothing cool about it.”

“There is,” Aiba muses. “But it has to be difficult to shoot someone.”

For a moment Kiko and Jun exchange a glance. “No,” Jun says and his voice is almost too silent. “It gets shockingly easy.”

“Yes,” Kiko agrees and sounds wary too. She shakes her hair a little. It’s even shorter than the day before. But then it’s always shorter than the other girls’ because she fights a lot and it might be in her way if it’s too long. She is also more trained than the other girls and her body is rather flexible. Nino doesn’t even understand why he thinks about it now, but he remembers how Aiba once told him that she and Jun once had something like an affair going on when they were both young and restless and new to the organization. It was only them, Sho and Ohno back then. But that was long ago and apparently their feelings never surpassed friendship.

“Don’t worry,” Ohno says and smiles at them soothingly. “Just always find something in your lives that reminds you that you are human. Something that’s worth staying sane for. Then you’ll be alright.”

“Hm-“ Jun says, not really sounding convinced.

“Maybe-“ Kiko half-heartedly agrees.

“Satoshi-kun has so much life experience,” Nino teases. “No wonder you had to take over the role of a 45-year old.”

Jun grins.

 

~~~***~~~

 

Now it’s Nino and Sho’s turn to check the security systems and to try to hack them. For a while Jun and Ohno keep watching, longer than the others do, but then they retreat too. Nino can’t blame them. It takes freaking 10 hours for them to finally finish their work. When he is back upstairs, he feels drained and tired. 

Aiba is sitting at the table, playing with Olong. “Still working with him?” Nino wants to know.

“Yeah, you know, he might not be useful in battle but he can reach every area we can think of. Just imagine how it would be if we were looking for someone in the high Alps or in the desert.” Aiba smiles and brushes over the huge falcon’s feathers affectionately before he offers him a little bowl with cornflakes. “He is perfect,” he says.

“Hm,” Nino nods half-heartedly. His definition of perfect is something else right now. A shower, something to eat, a warm bed. 

“Hey brat,” Jun waves at him with a bottle of wine. “Upstairs, my room, ten minutes. Drink and Food. But please shower first, you look horrible.”

Now, this is what Nino calls perfect! Jun got it.

He doesn’t make it in ten minutes but in fifteen. Jun has prepared two glasses of wine and a huge amount of tapas. “I love Spanish food,” Nino sighs.

“I know.”

“Did you make this yourself!?”

Jun looks a little flustered all of a sudden, the way he shifts a little, nips at his wine and turns one of the perfect enchiladas between his fingers. “I had some free time today,” he finally says. “You guys spent the whole day and half of the night down there, so-“ He pauses. “You don’t have to eat it, though.”

That’s so like Jun.

Nino grins and grabs one of the shashlik in lemon marinade. “Shut up. I’m going to eat it all!”

They talk a lot this evening, more than before. It’s random chitchat at first but at one point it gets more personal. Jun tells him how Ohno found him when he was still a kid, how he basically raised him and brought him here. “We are all messed up,” he says at one point.

“Yes,” Nino agrees thoughtfully, thinking back to when Sho basically bought him from slave traders years ago. “That’s why we are here.”

“This here is everything we have,” Jun continues. “It’s not perfect, it’s harsh and difficult, sometimes we kill, we fight – even if it might be for a good cause, it’s still not a good act –“ he whips with his feet thoughtfully, his fingers rubbing over his temples. “Sometimes we need to sell our bodies and feel bad about it,” he adds. “But it’s still better than it was before. At least I have a home with you guys. There are people that love and protect me.”

Nino nods. He doesn’t know what to answer, there is a small knot in his throat that burns a little too much. 

At one point they both fall asleep. It’s Nino who stretches out on Jun’s bed first and Jun doesn’t kick him out but just lies down next to him. They don’t mind Marshmallow sneaking into the room and eating the leftovers before he and Chantal join them in Jun’s bed. 

 

~~~***~~~

 

_The job is never like the training._

Jun has told him this several times already but Nino never knew how true those words really are. It’s his first time on a field mission – on an assassination mission. He is glad that Sho is around too, because this way at least one of them knows what to do. This time Erika is the one who stayed at home – the others all had to go outside.

“We’ll give you a sign,” Ohno says. He covered every part of his body in black clothes, just like Jun. Just like all of them. It looks cool, Nino thinks, but it’s pretty tight and it feels a little warm and also really weird. Keiko has even dyed her hair black again, just like Aiba. 

Jun smiles reassuringly before he turns around and follows the others. He looks good, Nino thinks, this style suits him almost too perfectly. Nino uses his night sight glasses but it’s not like in the basement, not like during their training. It’s very unpredictable, tense and so freaking real. He can see Jun’s warm body colour on his display, how he approaches a guard. Then there is nothing to be seen for a while as both of them disappear behind a corner.

Thus far everything goes according to their plan. Still Ohno is obviously nervous. “I’m having a weird feeling,” he mumbles silently as Sho, Keiko and Nino are plugging their laptops and devices to the alarm system. “It’s too easy.”

“Sh,” Keiko hisses and her voice his hoarse. She sounds rather nervous than angry, probably this whole situation is too tense and unusual for her. 

“Got it,” Sho mumbles and closes his laptop. His voice trembles in relief, Nino knows he was scared that their preparations weren’t thorough enough, that their codes weren’t correct, that they would make a mistake, but they didn’t.

 

~~~***~~~

 

When Kiko’s slender body disappears through the window, Nino starts to feel uncomfortable too. Ohno is right, he thinks, he has a bad feeling about the situation too. He tries to distract himself a little, to use some of these meditation strategies Aiba taught him once. But it doesn’t help much to listen to waves brushing against the pier softly. It also doesn’t help that Chantal is lying right next to him, her cold nose pressed against his ankle. He still feels very unsettled.

Kiko is fast, though. And swiftly opens a window for the rest of her crew. At least Nino has something to do now and can forget about his thoughts for a while. Keiko and Aiba stay behind this time to prepare some traps, just in case something should happen. When Nino looks back in concern, Aiba just points at his gun and nods reassuringly. It’s okay. Aiba is stronger than some of the others think. Nino nods back and crawls through the window to follow the others. He tries to ignore his heart beat racing all of a sudden, almost hammering against his chest. Even his mouth feels dry and his eyes burn a little because he doesn’t dare to blink. This is new, very different from how he normally works.

For a moment it’s all dark inside, only his night sight device showing him what’s going on. Jun is already about to send Neon Genesis to work when he suddenly pulls back. _Did you hear that_ , he forms the words with his lips without saying them aloud. It’s directed towards Ohno – which was good, because Nino has no idea what the heck he is supposed to have heard. Ohno nods immediately. 

“Out,” Ohno says in the lowest voice possible. “Sho first, they might need you outside.”

Sho nods and takes Neon Genesis with him – wisely. It doesn’t even feel weird to Nino that Ohno is suddenly taking the command and Sho follows his instructions. It’s probably because it’s an outdoor, a field mission, and not Sho’s comfort zone. 

“Nino, now you.” 

By now Nino knows that something is off. Kiko is pressed against the left wall, her breath so low he can’t even see her body move. Jun’s features and his silhouette have disappeared in the darkness completely. Something is definitely off. 

He is about to crawl out of the window, supported by Ohno, when suddenly two hands pull him back and press him down. Before he can scream, someone covers his mouth. Then there is a shot to be heard, the bullet clashing against the window. “SH!” Jun hisses at Nino and moves his hand from his mouth. “Stay here! Covered!!”

“But-“

“You have your weapon!” Jun whispers. “Use it, when you need it.” 

Then he is gone all of a sudden. And suddenly there is light around them. Someone has switched on the lights. 

Nino slides himself to the edge of the huge cartons he is hovering behind, peeking a little. He can see some guards approaching Jun and Ohno, he can see how Ohno skilfully smacks one of them right in his face with his elbow, before he shoots him. Kiko stays more hidden, she is approaching one of the men from behind, strangling him. And Jun just fights his way through three guards.

And there are more men coming.

“Fuck,” Nino mumbles. “It’s a trap.” He has his gun in his hand. Ready to use it. Surprisingly enough his hands aren’t shaking. It’s like he got so absorbed into this situation that he forgot to be nervous about it.

It’s when Ohno has emptied his magazine that Nino feels this is going to be tight. Ohno switches to fist fighting now, while Jun turns to making good use of his knife. 

“Stop it!” 

Nino shrinks back a little, trying to concentrate on the man that just spoke and approaches them now. That’s Oda.

Nino curses slightly and crawls forward again, hiding behind another bunch of boxes which give him a better view of what’s going on. He spots Oda and Rusk, the latter pointing a gun directly at Kiko, signalling Jun and Ohno to throw their weapon away.

“How did you know?” Ohno asks with his typical calm voice. 

Nino smiles a bit. He is obviously trying to buy some time. Outside Sho and the others are probably already thinking of a plan and a possible ambush. 

Oda grins slyly, pulling at a blanket that’s been lying on the floor. When he uncovers it, Nino’s vision blacks out completely for a moment. As it returns he sees King. He is dead. The look on Jun’s face is shocked. Nino isn’t too sure if it’s because Jun can’t kill him in person anymore or if he is surprised to see someone he just recently had sex with like that. Most likely it’s a mix out of both.

“I don’t understand,” Ohno says while he probably does, but wants to get the others some more time. He is probably pretty mad now, just like Nino and the others, because they didn’t see the farce before – not King was Oda’s first man, but Rusk.

“You don’t?” Oda mimics Ohno’s voice before he points at Jun. “It’s been him King had sex with, right? The pretty faces like him fuck with our men, that’s why your organisations hires guys like him. It’s always been like that – I remember a time when you all were looking for pretty teens to join you, pretending to save them from their previous lives. A well-known strategy. These kids only need to have a pretty face and learn how to blow.” He grins a little when Ohno keeps silent. So, Oda spoke the truth? At least in part? “I always let this stupid idiot King test my toys before I touch them.” He laughs slightly when he kicks King’s dead body. And even though Nino can only see Jun’s back he knows that he has to fight a little to keep his composure. “Like we won’t check when he sleeps with one of your filthy whores.” 

OH SHUT UP! Nino has had it, he’s heard enough! No one dirties Jun’s name or Ohno’s or his other friends’. It’s only when Nino steps out from his hideout that he realizes that he has said the last words loud. “Who are you calling filthy whore, shithead,” he says, his voice sounding weird to his own ears. He raises his gun, pointing it directly at Oda. He uses the moment of shock and surprise – they obviously haven’t expected him – and fires. 

He hears another gunshot though. Most likely from Rusk. Something inside his upper body hurts all of a sudden. His sight gets blurred. He only sees how Kiko bites into Rusk’s hand, how Jun picks up his knife and attacks. 

Then everything turns white.

 

~~~***~~~

 

“Kazu!”

Nino’s eyelids hurt when he opens them. He feels tired and drained and totally spent and all shades of- “Jun?” he says when he recognizes Jun’s face over him. He is pressing his hand against Nino’s stomach, blood covering his fingers. “What-“

“You got shot, you idiot!” Jun huffs. “Why didn’t you listen?”

“Oda?” Nino asks.

“Ohno and Kiko are after him. You hurt him pretty badly, so don’t worry.” 

“Rusk?”

Jun smiles. 

“Good.” Nino tries to sit up, thankfully taking Jun’s hand. “What about my wound?”

“Isn’t too deep.”

Nino can’t even believe his luck. So he managed to hit this Oda-idiot, didn’t get hurt too much and Rusk won’t interfere anymore? 

“Can you hear me, Erika?” Jun says into his mike. It’s unlocked for them all, and Nino can hear his voice clearly. Meanwhile Jun carefully places a camera in the middle of the room. “Do you see anything?”

“No, it’s clear, guys.” She chuckles slightly all of a sudden. “Go away, Marshmallow. Sit down.” She chuckles again. “Good boy, here you have a cookie.”

“Since when does Marshmallow listen to commands?” Nino asks half-heartedly. He is a little lost in his mind and his ears are ringing slightly, but Jun is soon at his side again, offering him an arm. 

“I finally managed to teach him at least this little trick. _Sit_ ,” he explains with a bright smile. 

“You know, Jun-“ Nino continues. “I’m sorry about what Oda said about you. Satoshi-kun might have brought you to the organisation because of your looks but he for sure kept you and raised you out of different reasons. And you are not a whore either. It’s not true what he said, you know that, right?”

Jun stays silent for a while, seems to ponder over his own thoughts, then he nods. “I know,” he says and he sounds convincing. “I’ve just decided not to take this kind of job anymore. I’m not going to sell my body ever again.”

Nino’s stomach does a flip hearing that, he can’t help an affectionate smile while he pads outside, clinging to Jun’s arm. Fresh air hits his face and awakens his senses. It’s a beautiful evening. He didn’t even realize how beautiful it was when they arrived. He turns his head to the side and what he sees there almost makes him drop back again. 

It’s Keiko, in Sho’s arms. They are kneeling on the ground, enjoying an – apparently supposed to be secret – kiss. Sho’s fingers thread through her hair softly, while her right hand rests against his chest. It’s when Sho’s hands slip under her black shirt that it finally draws a reaction from Nino.

“Can’t be,” Nino says in disbelief. “Can you even believe that, Jun?”

“Well-“ Jun grins. “You know what they say: They tease you because they like you.”

“Well if you say so,” Nino lets out a sigh and follows Jun around the building towards their car. They are going to wait there for the others. It’s when Jun bends forward a little to pick up the med supply box that his feelings just overwhelm Nino. This freaking beautiful guy, the way he smiles, the way he tends to join Nino during these lonely night, how sad he looked after his night with King, how he just does everything to make Nino feel better. 

This idiot is so freaking special to him.

“I love you, Jun.” 

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH HIS MIND!?

Nino curses inwardly. It’s so not like him to say something like that. To confess so openly, in such a situation and whatever – he is so freaking stupid! Nino bites down on his tongue in anger. He sounded like a 15-year old inexperienced teenager. The ringing in his ears gets a little louder.

“It’s okay,” Jun smiles and approaches him. His fingers touch Nino’s face lightly, brushing over his cheek, then he bends forward a bit, his lips suddenly pressed against Nino’s. Nino is so stunned at first that he almost forgets to kiss back. But then he remembers and grabs Jun’s hair forcefully. It feels so soft, a little sweaty maybe, but Nino doesn’t care. Soon he can feel how Jun presses him against the car, how his lips move over his neck, nails scratching his sides almost painfully. 

This is exactly what Nino kept dreaming of. It’s perfect. It’s so perfect. And Jun is just so good~ Nino wants more, more, more. Jun’s hand moves down to Nino’s pants, then he pauses, chuckling slightly. “I love you too. Always have,” Jun says.

Something in Nino’s head rings all of a sudden, joining the ringing in his ears, like a trigger that is being pulled. He pushes Jun away a little, looking at him with inquiring eyes. “Always?”

Jun smiles his oh-so-fucking-perfect seductive smile. Almost like in the jet when he was practising for his role. “Yes. I’ve loved you from the first moment on. I was lost in you immediately.”

Nino takes a few steps back. He can see the surprise in Jun’s eyes – it’s almost painful to see him like that. But- “You know. I’ve changed my mind,” Nino says all of a sudden.

“Eh?”

“I don’t think I really love you,” he clarifies, as blunt as possible.

Jun looks hurt all of a sudden. “What? But you said-“

“It was a joke. Are you stupid? Like I would… with you-“ Nino grins slyly and points his gun directly at Jun now. He is surprised by how ice-cold his voice can sound. “You are invading my world, bitch.”

He pulls the trigger. 

When it’s silent around him again, the ringing in his ears stops. He sighs deeply. “Jun would definitely feel hurt by what Oda said. And he would never confess like that, fucking whoever-you-are bitch.”

 

~~~***~~~

 

There is no body lying in front of the car all of a sudden. And when Nino turns his head Keiko and Sho aren’t around anymore either. He knew it. It was so fake. Though it still felt so bad to do it, the hurt look in Jun’s eyes was so real. 

It’s white around him again. 

 

~~~***~~~

When Nino opens his eyes the next time, he can see a well-known curly-haired head resting against his bed. “Jun?” he mumbles. 

“Finally!” Jun looks up. He looks so relieved, so happy, despite his eyes being only half-opened, filled with exhaustion and concern. How long was he watching out for him like that? Jun brushes over his hair softly when Nino tries to sit up. “Don’t overdo it, Kazu.”

“How long was I knocked out?”

“Two days only.”

Kazu tilts his head. Two days? What the hell happened!? He must have a very confused expression on his face because Jun explains immediately. 

“One of the weapons went off, the one Rusk shot at you with after you hit Oda. It had a hallucination gas included. You know, like those fantasy movies where a dangerous plant engulfs you with its venoms and makes you get lost in your dreams. You got the full amount of it, on top of it you got shot for real too and lost some blood, which fortunately wasn’t too much of a problem. Your wound wasn’t too bad. It’s good that Kiko and Keiko gathered so much information on their weapon research team.”

Nino nods, already feeling tired again. His whole body aches. It feels like a rock fell down on him. Or like he had sex for one week. “Oda?” he asks.

“You shot him, idiot!” Jun grins before he looks at him sternly. “Don’t think you can avoid my wrath with that, though – you did something freaking dangerous.”

“Rusk?” Nino continues, ignoring Jun’s scolding. He smiles secretly at it, though.

Jun shrugs, looking away a bit.

“Oh no.”

“Don’t worry, Kazu,” Jun sits up now and takes Nino’s hand into his, patting it reassuringly. “Yes, he got away, but we are hunting him. Don’t forget that we still have the tracking device on him. It’s still undiscovered by him. Apparently he didn’t recognize you as the nursery school teacher.”

They are staying silent for a while, enjoying the comfortable silence between them. It’s when Jun presses a button on his phone – most likely to tell the others that Nino is awake – that he turns to Nino curiously. “Who is invading your world?” Jun wants to know. “You were rambling something in your sleep.”

“You.” Nino says without thinking about it. 

Jun stays quiet, then he nods. “Ah,” he answers.

Here, this is a proper Jun-reaction. His own semi-confession wasn’t cheesy either. That’s how it’s supposed to be. When he can hear Ohno and Erika approaching, the girl trying to hold Marshmallow back from drooling all over the floor, he smiles. 

Hello, reality. 

“How are the others?”

“Fine,” Jun smiles. “Kiko got a bit hurt, but recovered well. Keiko and Sho are arguing like always. And Aiba is probably still our biggest player. Just don’t think you won’t get scolded by Sho and Satoshi” He grins. “Satoshi can be so creative with his punishments but unfortunately he is still helpless at the same time. Once he let me write two pages of _Why I’m never again going to beat up a bunch of bullies randomly and almost reveal my identity._ ”

“And what did you do?”

Jun smiles and little wrinkles appear on his cheeks. “I wrote something about how I would plan my steps next time and beat them up secretly. When I gave it to him to read, he had to laugh.”

Nino laughs heartedly at that. “How old were you then?”

“15.” Jun sighs a little and looks nostalgic all of a sudden. “Long ago. Fortunately.”

“Well, I’m counting on your help when he tries to be creative with me,” Nino jokes.

“No problem. I’ll just point out the fact that he originally only took me in because I was pretty and that the higher ups hired me as a pretty fucking toy for the guys they want to get information from,” Jun says. He sounds random and calm but something in his eyes flickers and Nino has to hold back not to hug him. 

He wants to tell him that it might have been true once. That their superiors told them to look for pretty faces and that’s the reason why Jun got the chance to join the organisation. It might have been like that once, but it’s not true anymore. Nino knows how Ohno watches over Jun like a brother, how he doesn’t want him to get hurt, how he feels guilty for even bringing him into that life – they all know how he feels. And how Sho feels for bringing in Nino and Erika. And he can guess only too well how Sho felt when he realized why he had been hired – probably out of the same reasons Jun was hired. It’s most likely why neither Sho nor Ohno wanted to tell Jun the truth after so many years.

Jun being pretty or handsome is not the reason he is with them today. Same is true for Sho. For all of them. 

One part of him wants to tell Jun all that but he doesn’t say anything because the door opens and Marshmallow is suddenly all over him. Erika lets go of Ohno’s arm and heads to save him from Marshmallow’s huge tongue and drool.

Ohno joins Jun at the window. They seem pretty normal with each other, even though they don’t say anything – but then, that’s nothing unusual. Jun looks away a bit after a while, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

It’s okay, Nino thinks. It’s better that he didn’t say anything. Jun’s heart for sure knows the truth and his mind will accept it soon enough. This is Jun’s and Ohno’s problem and he shouldn’t intervene with it.

 

~~~***~~~

 

Jun really kept his promise and kept Nino away from Sho’s and Ohno’s anger. Sho is looking a bit pissed, though, like he is angry that he got drawn into this drama too. If Nino has to take a guess, he would say that Ohno told Sho to shut up about this whole issue and just let their mission pass as _experience_. They are lucky that Toma lets them do whatever they want and how they want it. Oda is dead – so mission accomplished. Rusk is their personal business now.

It’s some nights later, a few days before they want to go back to their base on the island and discuss how to track down and catch Rusk, that Nino walks to the bathroom in the middle of the night. He is not taking any painkillers anymore and the healing process is slowly settling in. It’s just damn painful. 

He is about to pass through the corridor when he almost stumbles over Jun. He is sitting on one of the windowsills, looking out into the darkness. “There is a star,” he says randomly and points up towards the sky. 

Nino nods and approaches him carefully. He hugs Jun, as casually as possible, smiling a bit when he can feel his breath and his hair tickling Jun’s neck.

“It’s about time we all got back to the island,” Jun breaks the silence and moves back a little. “This place drives us all nuts.”

Nino silently agrees.

~~~***~~~

They are lucky though because Ohno and Sho feel similar and already organized their travel back to the island as fast as possible. The atmosphere is already getting lighter when they pack all their belongings and Aiba goes to look for a private ferry. He would drive them back on it instead of taking a jet for security reasons, an attempt not to attract too much attention.

Nino usually hates the open sea, but Keiko prepared some meds for him and makes sure he takes them regularly. His sea sickness is getting a lot better with it, so he can even join some of the others on the deck from time to time. 

It’s a few days later that he meets Jun there at night. To his surprise and relief he looks unusually happy. Just like before they went on this mission. “Want a drink?” he asks Nino randomly.

“You mean like last time, when I had a shot of whisky with Masaki and Sho almost ripped my head off afterwards? You know we have to watch our health.”

“You are forgetting that I have this new information that helps me pressing the guilt buttons on Sho and Satoshi-“ Jun says and grins slyly. 

Nino chuckles. “How long are you going to use that unfortunate revelation? You know, it might get old soon.”

Jun laughs slightly. “That’s why I decided to take advantage of it as long as possible.”

“Yeah, it’s awesome when Satoshi-kun is on a guilt-trip,” Nino agrees, happy that Jun already reached the point where he can joke about the whole issue. “Fine,” he continues. “If you make it beer, I’m in.”

 

~~~***~~~

Back on the island things slowly settle back to normal again. 

Everything is just like it always used to be, Nino thinks in relief. Ohno and Jun are talking normally again, while Sho and Keiko argue a little less and Ohno and Sho a little more right now. A nice little change to daily routine but still nothing too unusual. Kiko and Erika spend their free time at the beach and Aiba has found a liking to orchards. He wants to have fresh fruits regularly.

Nino feels better too now. It’s their place. A perfect little place, _their_ perfect little place. If he had to give it a name, he would call it _home_. 

It’s dark now, not even the stars and the moon throwing silhouettes at the ground. But it’s warm and cosy outside, so Nino doesn’t even think of leaving his hammock.

“Here, eat that.” Jun shoves a piece of watermelon into Nino’s mouth. He keeps staying close to Nino most of the time, though it’s unusual for him to come so late at night. Mainly because he wants Nino to sleep and regain all his strength. _We need you, Kazu_ , he told him a week ago. “Masaki went to the mainland and bought some fruit, some new clothes for all of us, a new car – Porsche – and a racoon.”

“A new car?” Nino asks in disbelief. “And a racoon!?”

“He was so happy that you recovered so fast. He even hugged Sho when he yelled at him and asked him if he has lost his mind.” 

Nino feels flustered, happy and amused at the same time. To hide his embarrassment that his friends were so concerned, he grins. “The racoon?”

“Washed Sho’s shoes, Satoshi’s watch and Erika’s sandwich yesterday.” Jun puts the plate with the watermelons aside and lies down next to Nino in the hammock. “Say, Kazu?”

“Hm.” Nino turns to his side a little, ignoring the stinging pain from his wound. It healed well but he still feels it. Toma told him that he might still feel the phantom pain for a long while. However, now Jun is lying next to him and he doesn’t want to miss anything by not looking at his face. “What is it Jun?”

“About what you said when you woke up-“

Ah, so that’s what it is. It was only a matter of time until Jun would finally ask him about it. Nino lets out a little sigh. Would it be a mistake to tell Jun that his world is upside down because of him? That he has feelings for Jun – as cheesy and stupid as it sounds. “You don’t need to take it too seriously.” Nino says half-heartedly.

Jun nods and strokes through Nino’s hair a bit. “Okay, then I won’t.”

“Hey!” Nino complains, furrowing his brows. He isn’t sure if he should feel annoyed, angry or simply frustrated by this reaction. This Jun was way too real, seriously. “Don’t you know that this is only an empty phrase!? You are not supposed to answer it like that. You are supposed to say-“ he pauses when he sees how Jun grins teasingly, knowing immediately that it was only a joke. “Idiot.” He says and hides his face behind his eyes, mainly to hide his own grin. Hiding his embarrassment comes as a close second though.. 

Jun pulls his hand away again and offers him one piece of bruschetta instead. He made it himself and brought it along with the water melon. “You know-“ he says while Nino is eating. “I’m probably pretty messed up. I slept with strangers to get information for our jobs, there is blood on my hands. I’ve done things that weren’t exactly good.”

Nino snorts. “You do realize that all of this applies to me too.” He offers his bruschetta to Jun and lets him take a bite from it. “Too much garlic, Jun.” he chuckles.

Jun smiles slightly. “It doesn’t matter when we both eat it,” he says randomly and Nino isn’t sure what exactly he means by it. 

For a while it’s silent between them, then Jun sits up a little, leaning against the tree the hammock is attached to, his fingers moving through Nino’s hair lightly. “Satoshi told us to find something that reminds us that we’re human. I think it would be nice if you could be ‘something’ that keeps my mind from snapping and my senses from floating too far away. It’s just-“ he shrugs. “-are you sure you want that?”

Nino takes Jun’s hand into his, his fingers playing a little with the wristband he is wearing. “Most of the time I don’t know what I want,” he says. “But I’m pretty confident about this.”

Jun stays silent for a while, before he shrugs. “Fine,” he says.

“Fine,” Nino answers and wonders what the hell Jun actually agreed to now. He obviously spent too much time with Ohno when he was younger. But it doesn’t matter all that much. After all, they are in this together.


End file.
